Part I
This past weekend there were several prayer requests for peace. This got me thinking about the true peace of God and what it is and how we actually experience it. This led me to Paul’s letter to the church in Philippi, Philippians chapter four. Paul starts out commanding the Body to stand firm, to persevere, to be consistent in the Lord. Then he proceeds to instruct us as to how to do that very thing. In verse six through nine he gives the famous verses, which contain four more commands:“6 Don't worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving; let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses every thought, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. 8 Finally brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable-if there is any moral excellence and if there is any praise – dwell on these things. 9 Do what you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, and the God of peace will be with you.”
Don’t, Do, Dwell, and Do
Don’t Worry
The word for worry in the original language has the idea of
an extreme uneasiness of mind or a state of depressing fear about some
possibility. It comes from a Greek
word that literally means to distract, to divide, or to draw in different
directions. That is exactly what
worry does to our joy. It disturbs
it, rips it apart, and then scatters it in every direction. Even the word “worry” in English comes
from an old German word, which means to strangle or to choke. Webster defines worry as “to harass by
tearing, biting, or snapping especially at the throat”, and “to afflict with
mental distress or agitation”. See
why Paul uses such a commanding tone when he tells us not to worry? Our natural tendency is to be harassed,
afflicted, and distressed about circumstances and situations that tend to
strangle and choke our joy by tearing at the very jugular of our lives and
ripping us apart. This affects our
entire person; our minds, our emotions, and our wills – and once it has
viciously shredded and mauled it turns to our bodies and our outward, physical
responds to our inner, spiritual. At times we can get very creative in
our worrying. Think of all the
things we worry about: finances, family, work, school, others, etc. But most of the time the worrying has
to do with self inflicted burdens about some future possibility that, for the
most part, we have no control over in the first place! That health issue you can’t control,
that spouse who just won’t do what they suppose to do. That bank account, that family member
that just doesn’t get it, how you are viewed, how others respond to you, the
list goes on and on.
Do Invite God Into Your World
Then comes one of my favorite Pauline words – “but.” Paul is quick to give the antidote to
this vicious, thieving beast that would mangle your joy – “prayer and petition
with thanksgiving.” Paul says that
in the midst of your distress; when worry lifts its hideous hands to clutch
your throat, set your focus on God.
There are two words here: prayer and petition (supplication). Prayer deals with the general
discussions to God filled with adoration, devotion, and worship. The first action to take is to get
alone with God and let Him know how much you adore Him, focusing on who He is
(His attributes that we have been talking about recently). Worship Him for who He is, All-mighty,
All-powerful, All-seeing, love, good, merciful, etc. Not only does this please God, it also puts us in the right
frame of mind, reminding ourselves that we serve The One and Only God, with
Whom NOTHING is impossible. Then
Paul uses the word petition (supplication), which moves from a more general
prayer to very specific requests.
The word used means to want or to beg and has a connotation of a sense
of urgency. After worshiping God
the scriptures say move directly into strong, non-stop, never ending,
relentless pleadings – and this ends ONLY when the evil is averted or the good
is conveyed. Paul commands us to
bring these requests to God with a continual, habitual practice of doing so –
while ensuring that the adoration, worship, and relentless pleadings are all
wrapped up in thankfulness.
Thankfulness for who He is, for what He has done in the past, for what
He is about to do now, and for what He will do in the future.
If we follow these directions of (1) not worrying, (2) offering
adoration and worship, (3) relentlessly pleading for our requests, and (4) exhibiting
thankfulness – then the PEACE of God will guard you. I don’t know how many of you saw the movie “Thor,” but if
you did, remember the character Heimdall.
Heimdall (played by some B-listed actor, I think his name is Idris
Aba-ca-dabra, or something like that, lol) stands on the rainbow bridge Bifrost to watch for any
attacks to the great city of Asgard, defending the city's gates from any
intruders. Heimdall stands at 7
foot 2 inches and weighs 575 lbs.
His powers include:
- Superhuman Strength
- Superhuman Speed
- Superhuman Stamina
- Superhumanly Dense Tissue
- Superhuman Durability
- Superhuman Agility
- Superhuman Reflexes
- Extended Longevity
- Regenerative Healing Factor
- Superhumanly Acute Senses
- Avatar Projection
Heimdall was one of the gods of Asgard; could lift over 50
tons; and wielded the Hofund:
an uru sword enchanted by Odin into which he can command cosmic forces and wield
blue flames from countless cosmic stars.
He also carried the Gjallerhorn,
used to signal when he sees any impending attacks on Asgard. He won the job as guardian of Asgard by seeing one day a
pending attack on the city, from enemies who were still 8 days away. He was known as the all-seeing,
all-hearing guardian sentinel of Asgard.
I went through that long, pseudo-semi-nerdism all because of
the word Paul uses in this passage – phroureo. It means to be a watcher in advance, to mount guard as a
sentinel. The saints in Philippi
were familiar with this word, for it referenced a Roman soldier with his weapon
out preventing a hostile invasion or keeping the inhabitants of a besieged city
from escaping. If we follow the instructions from the Scripture we will receive
a guardian sentinel, infinitely more powerful than Heimall, to secure, guard,
and protect our hearts and our minds from ominous anxiety and looming worry. And this sentinel is The Peace of God.
The original word for peace (eirene) is where we get our
word “serene” and “serenity” from.
It is derived from a word meaning to join, bind, or joining together
what was broken or divided. When
things are broken and/or divided, there is lack of harmony, security, and
comfort. But when they are joined
together there are both. Peace is
inner rest and well being. It is
clear and free of storms or objectionable change, stressing an unclouded and
superior calmness. This will be
your sentinel guardian to guard your heart and mind – the real, inner you. And since it is from God it is an
eternal peace, an infinite peace, an everlasting peace, an all-powerful peace,
a holy peace, and a supernatural peace, surpassing all comprehension – a “blow
your mind” peace!
Isaiah 26:3 says,
“You will keep the mind that is dependent on You in perfect peace [Hebrew: Shalom], for it is trusting in you.”
Eirene (peace) is the Greek equivalent of the Hebrew word
Shalom. Worry and anxiety attempt
to divide us while choking the joy right out of our lives. But the Scriptures dictates that if we
don’t give in to worry, by offering prayers of worship and intense specific
requests to God, with thanksgiving, He will give the Shalom of God to protect
our hearts and minds and be our valiant and vigilant sentinel guardian. So I commend you to take heed to the
Word of the Lord today and not allow worry and anxiety to consume you. It has no place in the Body of Christ
for the Creator of the Universe has given us His peace. And through the peace of The All Mighty
God we can actively live in a tranquil state of clam assuredness, knowing that
we are guarded, protected, and secured.
